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2015 BMW i8 sets everyone's tongues wagging in Northern Michigan

Like few other cars we can remember, people want to talk about the 2015 BMW i8. Drive one, and you'll soon find out what we mean. They stop you at gas stations. They accost you in Walgreen's parking lots. They stream out of neighborhood bars, beers in hand.
At least, that was our experience this week during Autoblog's Technology of the Year testing. We had the pleasure of driving the plug-in hybrid BMW sports car up to and around Petoskey, MI, a resort town where seeing such exotics is rare enough, let alone in the off season. It made for some interesting conversations - so we began writing down some of the comments the butterfly-doored coupe inspired. Here's a sampling:
"Wanna race for pinks? I'll go easy on you." - Acne-covered teenage pizza delivery driver in a sad-looking Ford Taurus parked at a Valero gas station near Grayling (which incidentally didn't actually have gas).

2016 BMW X4 M40i Quick Spin

There's only so much you can do to disguise the SUV-ness of a crossover. The physics are simply against it. Essentially a jacked-up wagon, the X4 is heavier and has a higher center of gravity than a 3 Series longroof. No matter how many badges or what sort of fancy suspension you throw at it, you can't defy the essential laws that govern the mechanics of the universe. This isn't to say that BMW is standing in the surf, ordering the waves to roll backward. The X4 is a valiant, if misguided effort, in injecting some sportiness into a very niche vehicle. The X6 M, a "full" M Division offering, does a decent job at this: it's quick like a rocket-assisted hippopotamus, and uses some black magic to stay planted. The X4 M40i, a less-full-blown M Performance model, is less dramatic, and less compelling. Here's the operating theory: this crossover won't sell on its dynamic charms, however superior to its X4 xDrive28i and xDrive35i siblings. It'll sell because it's the top of the X4 heap, the most expensive of the three ($58,795!), and with the most "M" badges. Anyone looking for utility and strong handling dynamics should examine a 3 Series xDrive Sports Wagon with the M Sport Package and the $700 Adaptive M Suspension, pocket the $10k, and marvel at the size and shape of the cargo area. Driving Notes: This is the same engine as seen in the brand new M2, making 355 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque in this application. That's 10 hp down from the M2. There's lots of torque, and with an intentional stab of the go-pedal, this X4 will scoot. The eight-speed auto is great heading through the ratio range – its shifts are swift and sharp. The paddles will hold gears to redline in manual mode, but would you really want to? We ignored them. The adaptive dampers have their work cut out for them. This is a 4,235-pound vehicle – a full 340 pounds heavier than a diesel, all-wheel-drive, 3 Series Sports Wagon, and 7.6 inches taller – and this is where physics comes into play. Slalom-like quick corners produce an uncomfortable jacking effect as the outer wheels unload and transfer weight to the other side. It handles well, for a hippo. Since hustling the X4 M40i is possible but not all that rewarding, know that it's very pleasant in Comfort mode. The extra oomph is realized as a thick, broad, rich torque band, and that's never a bad thing around town. It's nicely dampened in Comfort, without much wallow.

Watch the trailer for Locke, a movie that takes place entirely in BMW's X5

It's no surprise that driving can be incredibly stressful. You're basically trapped in a metal box, and until fairly recently, your ability to communicate with the outside world beyond the toot of a horn or a rolled-down window was all but nonexistent. Locke, a new film starring actor Tom Hardy (best known for his role as Bane in the Batman movie Dark Knight Rises), capitalizes on that feeling of isolation and stress by setting the entire movie in a BMW X5.
Locke is written and directed by Steven Knight, author of Eastern Promises, and the trailer shows Hardy's character being put under increasingly intense emotional stress as he drives along in his Bimmer. We don't know much more than that, as the 90-second trailer really doesn't give away much.
The film premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival, and reviews are available that tell more about the story, but we don't believe in spoilers. It's poised to hit theaters in the UK on April 18 and the US on April 25. The trailer reminds us of a far more artistic take on Steven Spielberg's 1971 movie, Duel and has our interest piqued. Scroll down to watch the trailer, but consider yourself warned, there's a brief moment of profanity.